Ariel - The tempest — Ceramic by Arnaud Quercy

About This Artwork

This ceramic sculpture transforms Shakespeare's air spirit through elemental paradox, binding the ethereal character of Ariel in earth and fire through hand-formed petite chamotte terra. High-fired and sealed with beeswax using ancient protective techniques, the work intensifies the contradiction between the spirit's nature and its material imprisonment. The piece evolves from an earlier 2022 work, abandoning representational features entirely in favor of geometric fragmentation that captures the character's shapeshifting essence through spatial decomposition.

Faceted planes break across the form's surface, creating sharp angular edges that suggest both violent containment and impossible dissolution. The sculpture presents a spirit arrested mid-dispersal, scattered across geometric breaks rather than held in singular form. A single hollow opening in the upper portion serves as the last trace of identity, a gap that admits the work's own incompleteness. The raw earthen surface, textured from the chamotte clay body, contrasts with the smooth beeswax finish that seals and protects the fired ceramic.

The vertical composition rises from a wider base, encoding aspiration toward freedom even while bound in earthen weight. Standing twelve centimeters wide by fifteen centimeters deep by twenty-seven centimeters tall, the sculpture requires close viewing to perceive how the diagonal lean creates temporary equilibrium. The form suggests a configuration that might collapse into constituent fragments or reconstitute into another shape, rendering Ariel's essential paradox as arrested motion in fired clay.

Part of the Spells and Magic collection exploring mythological themes through ceramic form, this work demonstrates how traditional hand-forming techniques and high-fire processes can embody conceptual contradictions. The sculpture includes certificate of authenticity 20231231-0052 and represents a sold work from the artist's 2023 production.